Terrorist attacks rise amid Pakistan-Afghanistan tensions.

KOHAT: At least seven people, including six police officers, were martyred while several others sustained injuries in a terrorist assault on a police van in Kohat, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Tuesday.

According to police officials, militants ambushed a police mobile van in the remote Shakardara Road area, opening indiscriminate fire. Three officers, including Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asad Mehmood, were martyred at the scene.

Two civilians passing near the vehicle were also caught in the attack and suffered injuries.

Authorities later confirmed that the death toll increased to seven after three wounded officers and one injured civilian succumbed to their injuries. Three policemen and one civilian remain under medical treatment.

Following the assault, the attackers set the police mobile van on fire before fleeing the area, police added.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the attack, attributed to militants belonging to Fitna al-Khawarij. He paid tribute to DSP Asad Mehmood and the other fallen officers, praising their courage and sacrifice in the line of duty.

The minister also extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, stating that the martyred officers achieved the highest honour through their sacrifice.

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Naqvi said the martyrs sacrificed their today for the nation’s tomorrow, adding that their timeless sacrifices will always be remembered.

He assured that the government stands with the families of the martyrs in this difficult time and shares in their grief.

Terrorist attacks have been prevalent in the country, especially in the provinces neighbouring Afghanistan.

At least three Federal Constabulary (FC) men were martyred when an ambulance carrying injured personnel came under a terrorist attack in the Badrakhail area of Karak, KP on Monday.

Moreover, four Indian proxy, Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan, while five others were killed in separate raid in Balochistan’s Pishin district.

Pakistan, since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021, has witnessed an increase in cross-border terrorist activity, particularly in the provinces of KP and Balochistan, which share a border with Afghanistan.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif earlier this month said that India was also waging a “proxy war” against Pakistan via militant attacks, stressing that New Delhi and Kabul, along with the militant outfits, “are on the same page.”

Amid the rising terror incidents, Pakistan carried out intelligence-based strikes targeting seven terrorist camps and hideouts belonging to Fitna al Khawarij (FAK), its affiliates and the Daesh-Khorasan along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in response to recent suicide attacks.

The airstrikes were carried out in Nangarhar, Paktika and Khost provinces of Afghanistan on Sunday morning, the security sources said, adding that more than 80 militants were killed in the airstrikes.

The camps targeted included “New Centre No. 1 and New Centre No. 2 in Nangarhar, Khwariji Maulvi Abbas Centre in Khost, Khwariji Islam Centre, Khwariji Ibrahim Centre in Nangarhar, and Khwariji Mullah Rahbar and Khwariji Mukhlis Yar in Paktika.”

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Pakistan’s recent strikes along the Afghan border come in the wake of a spate of terrorist attacks in KP and Balochistan, which claimed the lives of numerous civilians and security personnel.

Islamabad has repeatedly called on the Afghan Taliban regime to rein in militant groups operating from their territory, but Kabul has largely remained unresponsive to these appeals.

The two countries, back in October 2025, were engaged in border clashes after the Afghan Taliban and militants launched unprovoked attacks against Pakistan’s border posts.

The resulting clashes led to the killing of over 200 Taliban and affiliated militants, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred defending the motherland.

Pakistan also conducted “precision strikes” deep inside Afghanistan, targeting terrorists in Kandahar province and Kabul. However, despite many rounds of talks, both countries failed to reach a ceasefire due to the Afghan Taliban regime’s reluctance to take action against terrorist outfits.